


Hair Falling Into Place Like Dominoes

by samwinchestersimp



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Maybe a little angst, No Smut, No cheating, Slow Burn, no love triangles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-14 19:34:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28550958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samwinchestersimp/pseuds/samwinchestersimp
Summary: Y/N moves to a new city and is looking for a place to live. She finds an ad for the perfect apartment, but when she shows up 'Cas', who posted the ad, turns out to be short for Castiel, not Cassie. Y/N meets Castiel along with his roommates Sam and Dean Winchester. She decides she won't be able to find a better place to live and moves in with the boys anyway. Y/N becomes great friends with the boys and is especially close with Sam. After lying to her family about her boyfriend for months, they ask her to invite him over for dinner. Of course, since she doesn't actually have a boyfriend she has no one to take. She is able to convince Sam to act as her boyfriend for the night, but after faking those feelings perhaps some start to become real?
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Charlie Bradbury/Rowena MacLeod, Sam Winchester/Reader, Sam Winchester/You
Comments: 14
Kudos: 25





	1. she was beautiful

“I told you Y/N, you can move in with me and Rowena permanently. She’s fine with it, I’m fine with it, it’s all good.” Charlie reassured from the other line. 

“Three weeks is long enough, I need to get out of you yOuNg LoVeRs hair,” you mocked with a laugh. You could hear Charlie laugh with a smile through your phone speaker.

“Alright, but I don’t think that looking for ads online is the wisest decision. What if you end up with some homicidal maniac, or a meth addict, or a lady with a bunch of cats?!” 

“Is ‘a lady with a bunch of cats’ really what you’re closing with?” you chuckled with an eyebrow lifted.

“Look,” Charlie sighed, “my point is you could end up with a real creep alright? Just- be careful.”

“I’ll be fine Charlie, I’m not stupid.”

“Are you sure? You _are_ the one who moved all the way to Chicago without a place to live first.”

“Shut up,” you growled playfully as you opened your laptop to scroll through apartment ads. “Hey, wait.”

“What is it?”

“4 bedroom apartment....3 roommates….quiet building….private room...and the rents perfect!” you said excitedly.

“Hmmm, who posted it?”

“Uhhhh,” you hummed as you searched for the name. “Cas Novak,” you read aloud to your friend. “Short for Cassie?”

“Probably.”

“I’m responding to it now,” you explained as you tucked your phone between your ear and shoulder freeing your hands to type.

“Why don’t you wait? I’m almost home let me look at-”

“Done.” you cut her off. 

“It.” she finished her sentence. 

“Sorry,”

Charlie sighed loudly. “Well, I’m pulling up see ya in a sec,” 

“See ya,” you pulled the phone off of your ear and hung up the call. Right as you did your laptop beeped. An email. You opened it and it read as follows:

**Good Evening, Y/N**

**That sounds great. Glad to know that you are interested. Any chance you would like to come by tomorrow and check it out?**

**\- Cas Novak**

You rested your chin on your hand as you read it and thought for a moment. _Do I reply? Do I wait for Charlie, She’s right downstairs?_ Just then there was a knock on the door. Your eyes shot up towards the sound.

“Y/N? It’s Charlie. I left my key, can you let me in?” 

You glanced over to the kitchen counter where Charlie’s bundle of keys was sitting. You sighed as you stood up and made your way to the door grabbing the keys on your way. Once you reached the door you unlocked it and opened it slightly. You met eyes with your red-haired friend.

“What’s the password?” you smiled as you shook the keys in front of her.

Charlie smiled stiffly, “I pay for this apartment and I have to pee, let me in….please.”

You laughed as you opened the door for the rest of the way. Charlie rushed past you and into the bathroom. You sat back down at the kitchen table where your laptop was resting and opened it back. You stared at the email for a moment. Through the wall, you heard the shower turn on. You glanced at the time on your computer. It was getting late and Charlie was known to take long showers, so if you were going to reply to Cas’s email it needed to be now. You tapped your fingers on the table and exhaled loudly.

“Hey, Charlie!” you yelled.

“Yeah!?”

“I’m gonna reply to this email ok?”

“What?”

“I’m gonna reply to this roommate girl's email and go in tomorrow to see the apartment!”

“What?”

“I’M GONNA- whatever,” you returned to your normal voice.

“Y/N?!”

“Nevermind!!” 

“Okay!!”

You returned your attention to your computer and hit reply.

**Hey Cas!**

**I’d absolutely love to! Does tomorrow at 1:30 pm work?** **:)**

**Thanks, Y/N Y/L/N**

Her reply to your email was almost instant.

**Yes, that’s perfect. See you tomorrow.**

**\- Cas Novak**

You smiled and quickly your mind went to wondering what Cas and your two other soon-to-be roommates looked like. You looked back at the time and realized that you hadn’t eaten dinner yet, and since charlie had _just_ gotten home from work she hadn’t either. So, you made your way to the kitchen and started cooking dinner for you, Charlie, and Rowena. 

As you finished up slicing carrots and throwing them into a pan on the stove Charlie came out of the bathroom with one towel wrapped around her body and one wrapped in her hair. You looked up at her and took a bite of the carrot in your hand, “Hey,” 

She looked confused, “What were you saying to me in there?” 

“Oh- I’m going to see that apartment tomorrow.”

Charlie sighed and sat down on one of the barstools to the kitchen island you were standing at. 

“What happened to waiting for me?”

“You were taking too long,” you shrugged, taking another bite of one of your carrots, “I didn’t want to leave Cas waiting.”

“Oh, so you’re on a first-name basis now?”

“What am I supposed to refer to her as? Miss Novak?” you asked with your mouth full.

“No, I’m just *sniffle* hurt that you’re moving on,” Charlie said in a fake sad voice.

“Oh, shut up,” you threw a carrot at her, “Now go get dressed. I’m making dinner for us.”

Charlie sighed, “I’m gonna miss free meals....now I’ll have to actually cook meals myself.”

“Oh so sad,” you frowned at her as she walked into her room.

While Charlie was in her room, you took some leftover roast chicken out of the fridge to go along with the carrots you were cooking.

A little later Charlie returned and you were finished cooking. You took out 3 plates from the cupboard and distributed your meal on them evenly.

“When do you think Rowena will be here?” You asked leaning on the counter.

Charlie turned her head to look around you and at the clock on the stove, “any minute now I’d say,”

Just then you heard keys raddle outside of the apartment door. Both you and Charlie turned your attention to the noise and in walked Rowena.

“Ah hello Darlings!” she greeted in her Scottish accent.

“Hi!” Charlie replied joyfully as she walked to her girlfriend and greeted her with a kiss.

“Oh, what do we have here?” Rowena asked, walking towards you, looking at your plates, while hand in hand with Charlie. 

“Food,” you push two of the plates towards the girls, “now eat it.”

While the 3 of you were sitting at the kitchen table eating Charlie began to explain your situation to Rowena. 

“Oh, dearest you know you can stay here.”

“Yeah I know, and thank you for offering, but I need to get out of here. I need a place that feels like home- not that this doesn’t feel like home! It just-”

“I know what you mean,” Rowena laughed, “it’s alright, we’ll miss you,” she smiled softly.

“I’ll miss you too, both of you. But this is the first apartment I’m looking at who knows if it’ll work out!”

After dinner, you walked to the sink to wash the dishes when Rowena stopped you. She placed her hand on your arm, “Oh let me sweet.” 

You would’ve declined but you were too tired to argue, so you moved to the side and let her do the work. You sluggishly walked to your room and fell backward onto the mattress on the floor that was surrounded by packed boxes. A few moments later, there was a knock and you looked up to Charlie who was knocking on the doorframe. You smiled without speaking and she walked over to you flopping down next to you on the mattress.

“This room is depressing you know.”

You turned your head to look at her, “You don’t have to keep telling me that,” you laughed, “I wasn’t gonna unpack anything unessential when I’d have to pack it all up again in a few weeks.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she stared at the ceiling, “about tomorrow...be careful. Jokes aside there are a lot of creeps out there, I just want you to be cautious about where you live.”

You pulled the pillow out from underneath your head and threw it at her, “Thanks, Mom. I’m not stupid Charlie, I’ll be careful. Promise.” 

Charlie smiled softly.

“Now if you would kindly get out of here I’d like to sleep.”

She groaned as she sat up. She pulled you into a hug, “Good Night, Y/N Y/L/N.”

You returned the hug, “Good Night, Charlie Bradbury.”

You didn’t remember actually ever falling asleep but you woke up the next morning from the sunlight peeking through the blinds on the windows. You sat up and rubbed your eyes with a yawn. You walked into the bathroom and took a quick shower because as always the water was cold from Charlie and Rowena’s lengthy showers before yours. 

You walked into your room with a towel wrapped around you as you dug through the cardboard box label ‘clothes’. You pulled out a pair of jeans and a white cable knit sweater and put them on. After returning to the bathroom to finish getting ready you walked into the living room where Rowena and Charlie were sitting on the couch together drinking tea and watching tv.

“Did I miss breakfast again?” you asked.

“Yep. There are some cold sausages and eggs in that bowl over there, but it’s basically lunchtime anyway so you may want to skip out on that.”

You looked over at the clock on the stove _12:13._ “Oh- I’ll just go get coffee and then hang out in the city for a bit before going to check out that apartment then,” you explained, “either of you need anything while I’m out?”

Charlie whispered to Rowena and then looked back up at you, “we’re good.”

“Ok, well see you guys later,” You said as you grabbed your bag and keys about to head out the door.

“Bye!” both of the girls yelled as you walked out the door.

You sat at a table in a cafe drinking some coffee as you sat alone. You couldn’t help but wonder what these girls looked like, who they were. Would you become close friends, or would they remain roommates and nothing more? Did they work all day and were hardly there? Were they hard partiers? Or was Charlie right? Were they a bunch of creeps? Or as she seemed to find crucial, did they have a bunch of cats? You stopped yourself from letting your mind wander, it was no use getting yourself worked up. You grabbed your drink and stood up.

You stood outside the cafe in the busy streets of the city. You leaned against the glass windows so that you weren’t in the way of anyone else, and pulled out your phone to check the time. _1:02._ Perfect timing to start walking towards the apartment. And maybe through the park to kill some time.

You down the sidewalk through the park looking around to enjoy the small patch of nature around you. You looked directly up at the sky as you walked, taking in the beauty of the bright blue sky. It was calming until you crashed into something, _someone._ You looked back down at the dripping coffee cup that was now crushed between you and this person. You looked up at them meeting eyes. It was a man. He was tall with long brown hair that fell perfectly and curled at his neckline.

“Ugh- sorry!” you shouted trying to hold your broken cup away from your body. At least the coffee was fairly cool by now. You expected him to be angry with you. This was Chicago after all, and he seemed like he was in somewhat of a hurry.

“No, no it’s my fault,” it wasn’t. You had run into him, but he was just being weirdly nice.

“Do you need some help with- that,” you pointed to his shirt that was drenched in your drink.

He wiped the stain with his hand realizing it wasn’t going to help, “It’s fine,” he smiled tenderly, “really.”

“Are you sure?” you asked truly sorry for what you had done.

“I’m sure,” he chuckled.

Both of you stood there for a moment in awkward silence unsure of what to do next. 

“Ok, well bye! Sorry again!” you said politely as you walked away.

You looked back at him as you walked away and he stood there waving for a second before putting his hand down and looking at his drenched shirt. _What an idiot._ You blamed yourself. On the bright side, you had wasted a little bit of time on your walk to the apartment and now you’d get there at the perfect time.

You stood outside of the apartment building looking at its exterior. It was well made and in a nice area of the city. You glanced at your phone to check the time. _1:28._ Close enough. You made your way up the apartment entrance stairs and into the building. You walked to the elevator before realizing the large sign. _Out of Order._ You sighed as you walked to the door to the stairs and opening it and climbing up the stairs. 

You reached the 3rd floor and walked down the hall looking at the door numbers trying to find the one listed on the ad. You finally found it at the end of the hall, room 310. You knocked on the door twice and waited for a reply.

The door opened a few moments later, and on the other side stood a man with bright blue eyes and messy dark hair.

“Oh- Hi?” you greeted him questioningly

“Are you Y/N?” he said with a low scruff but welcoming voice.

You nodded slowly. The man held out his hand, “I’m Cas,” he smiled kindly.

You looked at him confused, not shaking his hand. His smile dropped and he cocked his head to the side. Once he realized he pulled his hand down.

“You thought I was a girl didn’t you?”

“Yes?” 

He groaned loudly. 

“Another one?” a deep voice asked from inside the apartment. Cas opened the door more exposing a man sitting on the couch.

“Yeah,” he sighed.

“I told you, man, you gotta put your full name.”

“I’m not gonna put Castiel. That’s the name of a creepy old guy that lives in the woods and thinks he’s the new messiah,”

The guy on the couch chuckled deeply.

“Sorry for the confusion Y/N,” Cas said with apologetic eyes, “I understand if you’re not interested anymore.”

You looked at the apartment. Then, at Cas. He seemed like a trustworthy guy, and from the few minutes you’d been talking to him and this other mystery guy it seemed like an alright place to live. You shrugged your shoulders then looked back at Cas.

“It was my fault for assuming, sorry,” you frowned, “but if you’ll still have me, I’d be glad to take a look.”

Cas’s smile returned slowly and he opened the apartment door the rest of the way. He held out his arm inviting you in and you followed. He closed the door behind you. You looked around at the large open apartment as Cas walked over to the couch where the other man was sitting. 

“Y/N, this is Dean Winchester. Dean, Y/N,” he introduced.

You went to shake Dean’s hand but instead, he offered a high five. You accepted it with a quiet laugh.

“Nice to meet you Y/N,” he grinned.

“You too, Dean,” you returned the smile, “So, uh who’s the other roommate?” you asked as you looked around.

“That’d be my little brother, he’ll be here later if you’re looking to meet him,” Dean answered.

“Oh, ok. Cool.”

“So,” Cas started, “are you- are you okay with 3 male roommates?”

You chuckled, “Yeah, I’m fine. Not exactly what I pictured, but I’m alright with it,” you were bending the truth ever so slightly. Yeah, it was ‘not exactly what you pictured’ at all. Living with 3 guys in their 20’s? Sounded like a recipe for all kinds of disasters. Still the good seemed to already be weighing out the bad, there were just a few more things you needed to see before making a final decision.

Cas laughed awkwardly, “Okay, great. Would you like to see the room now?” He asked.

“Cas loosen up a little bit bud,” Dean threw his hands down on his friend’s shoulders.

“Dean,” Cas said harshly. Dean removed his hands at the remark and fell backward back onto his place on the couch.

Cas looked back at you and his smile returned to his face. “Yeah, sure,” you answered.

Cas nudged his head towards the room you’d be staying in if you decided to live there. You followed him into the room. It was empty, had white walls, and grey carpet, as well as a small walk-in closet. It was the perfect place for you to start your life in Chicago and at the perfect price. Not out of your budget, but not scarily low either. 

“So, what do you think?”

You turned around to look at Cas. “It’s perfect.”

“Really?” he smiled. You nodded, “great! Well, you can move in as soon as you want to it’ll be great to have you.”

“Sounds good. I can do it today and Sunday so I can move in without it interfering with work,” you explained as you followed Cas out of the room.

The door to the apartment slammed closed and there was a new voice along with Dean’s in the living room.

“What happened to you?” Dean’s voice asked.

“This girl spilled coffee on me when I cut through the park on my way to the store,” the voice explained.

“Did you yell at her?”

“What? No.”

“No? Why not? Oh was she hot?"

“What- yeah, she was beautiful but that’s not the poin-” the man stopped in his tracks as you walked into the living room and met eyes with him.


	2. truly, they were wondrous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been edited slightly since I published it :))

“Hi-” he greeted you awkwardly. 

“Sam, this is our new roommate Y/N,” Cas introduced you, “Y/N, Sam Winchester,”

“Hello,” you smiled uncomfortably. 

“Oh- um nice to meet you,” he held out his hand and you shook it slowly. Both of you stood in silence making awkward eye contact while you continued to shake hands. You could feel Dean and Cas’s eyes on you while you looked into Sam’s eyes. You observed them through the silence. They weren’t just brown, green, or blue. There was a variety of colors to them. Truly, they were wondrous. Like two sunflowers against a bright blue sky.

Suddenly Dean cleared his throat loudly causing both you and Sam to jump and your hands retreat away from each other. “So,” he started. “When are you moving in?”

You shifted your glance to Dean, “What?” you wrinkled your brow.

“When are you moving in?” he repeated.

“Oh- this weekend.”

“Sweet,” he smirked. You quickly smiled back.

“Ok,” you sighed, throwing your arms down to your sides. They smacked against your thighs with a pop. “I’m gonna get going,” you leaned your head towards the door, “wait Cas!”

Cas turned his head to look at you, “Yes?” he asked his eyes wide open. 

“Lease.”

“Oh right, I can bring it in tomorrow while you’re bringing your stuff over,” he shrugged.

“Ok, perfect,” you smiled.

“You need help with moving?” Dean asked you leaned against the back of the couch with his arms crossed.

Your eyes lit up, “That’d be great,” You were glad he asked. You really didn’t want to have to ask Charlie and Rowena for help again, when they’d helped you move just a few weeks ago.

“Alright, well I’m sure all 3 of us can help. Right guys?” He looked at his brother and best friend. They both nodded with friendly smiles on their faces. Dean looked back at you and smiled the same friendly grin as Sam and Cas. You could tell already, that this was gonna be a great place to live.

The rest of the weekend was spent moving boxes from your old apartment to your new one, as well as goodbyes to Charlie and Rowena. Sunday morning, Sam, Dean, and Cas had driven over in a moving truck you had rented and gotten them to pick up. You were amused when you walked out of your old apartment to the boys crammed into the truck together, each with uncomfortable looks spread across their faces as their arms fought for space. They all looked over at you with unpleased faces as you cackled from the sidewalk. Luckily the elevator had been repaired before you and the boys had started to move boxes to your apartment, making the process much smoother.

After all of your boxes were piled up in your new room, as promised, Cas sat you down and had you sign the lease at the kitchen table. Just like that, with one signature, you were now dedicated to a full year of living with these boys you had just met.

It was 7 pm on Sunday night when you were sitting on your bedroom floor looking through your box of records. You looked around at your mostly unpacked room and finally felt a little at home.

“Dean? Cas?” you heard Sam’s voice yell from the kitchen.

“They’re not here!!” you shouted in response. 

Sam poked his head into your room and shifted his eye line to you on the floor, “Where are they?”

“No idea,” you shrugged your shoulders, “they didn’t say where just that they’d be back.”

“Oh-” Sam sighed, “well, do you wanna go get some pizza?” he pointed behind him.

“Sure,” you grinned carefully, tossing the vinyl you were holding onto your bed.

“The Best of Sam Cooke?” Sam asked tilting his head as he read the album on your bed.

“Oh yeah, he’s one of my favorites,” you explained cheerfully.

“No way! me too,” Sam leaned against your doorframe with a crooked smile.

“Really?” you laughed, “What’s your favorite?” you asked amused you had someone to talk to about this. All your friends had only ever listened to was the top hits, so this was a new and exciting moment for you.

“Hmm,” he hummed as he thought for a moment, “You Send Me. One hundred percent.”

“Well, I agree,” you raised your eyebrows.

“Good because if you didn’t I  _ might _ have had to talk to Cas about getting a different roommate,” he joked.

You laughed and he stood there admiring your smile. When you noticed you stopped, causing his smile to drop as well. You cleared your throat as you stood up and dusted off your pants. “So, pizza?” 

“Right...there’s this place, Vinnie’s, a few blocks away that’s pretty good,” he explained. 

“Sounds good to me,” you accepted as you walked towards the door.

As you approached your bedroom door to leave Sam stood straight up blocking your way.

“Sorry,” the 2 of you said in unison as you both cleared the way for the other to walk through.

Both of you chuckled awkwardly. Sam held out his arm indicating you should walk through the door first and you complied. Before heading out the door you grabbed a sweater and pulled it over your t-shirt.

You and Sam left the apartment and started your journey to get dinner. In the elevator, you both stood beside each other in silence facing the elevator doors. 

“So,” Sam broke the silence. Your head turned towards him, “do you have a job yet?”

“Yeah, I’m a baker at Garth’s Sweets.”

“Oh, right down the street?” 

“Yeah,” you grinned. 

“Tell me how does a baker afford an apartment like your old one?” Sam lifted an eyebrow.

You laughed, “Charlie’s a computer programmer, so she paid the bills. I was just staying there until I found a place anyway,” you explained.

“Ah, ok. Well if you’re a baker you must be good at baking right?”

“Yes,” you chuckled.

“I expect some baked goods then,” Sam snickered. 

“Will do,” you complied in a joking tone.

You both exited the elevator together and walked to the apartment entrance door, chuckling as you bonded through little conversations. Sam held the door open and you followed through. 

You made your way to the pizza place Sam had mentioned, Vinnie’s, and each of you ordered 2 slices and a soda. You got your favorite pizza and Sam got his, which was pepperoni. 

The two of you walked down the streets of the city eating your pizza and sipping your sodas.

“So um,” you looked towards Sam as they spoke with your mouth on your straw drinking away. You lifted an eyebrow to show you were listening. He laughed awkwardly, “I don’t know how to even go about this.”

“Just say it, it’s fine.”

“I’m sorry about yesterday. I’m not saying I take it back because you are- I mean you’re-,” Sam stammered.

“Sam,” you stopped walking and placed your hand on his arm, “it’s okay, you’re fine say whatever you have to say.”

Sam sighed. “I guess I’m just saying that I'm sorry if I made things awkward with what I told Dean yesterday. I know you feel it, I can tell, I feel it too.” 

“Feel what?” You tilted your head.

“The tension between us, I made things awkward. I know I did, and I apologize.”

Of course, you felt this awkwardness he was talking about. Everyone in the near vicinity of the two of you could. “It’s alright,” you smiled affectionately, wiggling your hand that was still on his arm to emphasize that it was still there. Sam looked at your hand and then up at you with a soft smile.

“So we can be friends?”

You gasped, “Are we not friends already? I’m offended,” you joked. Sam looked away from you and laughed. You took your hand off of his arm and pointed your head in the direction of the apartment, “Come on.” You were glad Sam had said what he said. Trying to start off a friendship like that instantly made everything about your relationship with Sam awkward. You hoped that now things would be better, friendlier. 

You and Sam walked back to the apartment together continuing eating your pizza and drinking your drinks. You arrived back at the apartment to Cas cooking at the stove and Dean sitting on the kitchen counter beside him. 

“Hey, what’s that?” Cas snapped, pointing the spatula in his hand at the pizza in your and Sam’s hands.

“Vinnie’s…” Sam answered hesitantly with a look of innocence spread across his face. He bent his head down to slurp his soda.

“Come on man, Cas is cooking dinner,” Dean threw his hands in the air. 

“How were we supposed to know that?” you stayed silent and watched the situation unfold. You thought it'd probably be best to not say anything, being new to this atmosphere and not wanting to wrongly interfere. Still, you liked it. It seemed like a home, a new different home, but home nonetheless.

The three of them continued arguing until Dean looked directly at you, “What about you Y/N? What do you think?” he asked in a voice that seemed passionate with slight undertones of anger.

You were pulled out of your mind into reality and looked at Dean, “What?” you had no idea what he had asked or what the guys were even talking about.

“Do you think Paul Mccartney died in a car crash in 1966?”

You furrowed your brow in utter confusion while all of them stared at you stone-faced waiting for a response. After a few seconds of silence, they all started laughing which caused you even more confusion.

“I told you she wasn’t listening,” Dean jumped off the counter. “If you’re gonna live here you gotta participate in our stupid arguments.” He patted your shoulder.

You looked at Sam and he shrugged his shoulders. You, Sam, and Dean sat down at the kitchen table together and you and Sam continued eating your food. Soon Cas joined, placing a plate of Burgers in the middle of the table. 

“If you’re still hungry,” Cas gestured to the plate.

“No no, they’re fine,” Dean ensured as he pulled the plate towards himself and grabbed 2. Cas looked at Dean and sighed. Dean looked at him with his mouth full of half of a burger already, “What?” he asked through his chews.

“Nothing,” Cas grabbed the plate and moved it back to the center. He took one burger off and set it on the plate in front of him. “But seriously if either of you needs more food feel free.”

“Thanks, Cas,” Sam said, finishing off his last bite. “But I'm good,” he said as he stood up and grabbed his cup taking a sip.

Cas looked at you. You met his eyes and glanced down at your remaining food, one crust, “Me too, thank you though,” you smiled.

“Of course,” he mouthed. Cas was by far the kindest one of the three boys. Not that Sam and Dean weren’t kind, but rather that Cas’s kindness outshined theirs. You stood up and grabbed your greasy paper plate off the table. 

“Here I’ll take that,” Sam said, reaching for your plate and stacking it on top of his. He walked to the kitchen and opened the cabinet under the sink. Still facing you he tossed the plates in the trash can underneath. 

“Hey, Y/N,” You looked up at Sam as he said your name.

“Yeah?” you lifted an eyebrow in question.

“Do you have any other vinyls?”

“Yeah a whole box, why?”

“Classic vinyl? Sweet!” Dean exclaimed.

“I don’t think it’s Bon Jovi Dean,” Sam teased his brother. Sam looked back at you as he waited for confirmation.

“Yeah no rock, mostly jazz and soul,” you chuckled.

Dean’s smile dropped, “Whatever go bond over your grandparent music,” he shooed you both with his hand.

Sam raised an eyebrow at you, “Can we?” 

“Sure,” you said calmly even though you were beyond excited to have someone else who understood the joys of jazz.

Sam followed you into your room where you picked the box of vinyls off of your floor and sat it on your bed with a grunt. “Here we are.”

“Mind if I,” Sam pointed to the box.

“Yeah, of course, go ahead,” you cleared the way for him to look through your collection of records.

“Frank Sinatra, Paul Anka, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday,” he read as he flipped through them, “you have amazing taste,” he laughed. 

You grinned. This meant a lot to you. Everyone had always criticized your music taste or at least didn’t understand why a 22-year-old listened to soft jazz and 60s soul music. So, Sam not only complementing but understanding your music was nice.

“You have a lot of records,” Sam observed, “But still this is the one you listen to the most?” he picked up the Sam Cooke record you had laid on your bed earlier. He ran his finger over the covers worn corners, compared to the clean perfect cover of the others.

“I’d definitely say so, I mean that was my first record. I listened to it on repeat before I got another, and still even after I collected more and more I was always brought back to it. ‘The Best of Sam Cooke’.” you read, “could also be called the best of all music ever.”

Sam laughed at your joke. His laugh was very warm, very genuine. It was a more than pleasant sound.

“You wanna listen?” you asked as you placed your hands on the record in Sam’s hands. He nodded excitedly and let go. Carefully, you took it out of its case and placed it on your record player. You dropped the needle and it hummed quietly before starting to play the first track. Sam exhaled loudly and laid back onto your bed. He walked over and laid next to him. You turned your head to look at him, He had closed his eyes and listened to the music playing. Quietly he began to hum to the beat. You rested your chin on your arm as you watched him. He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling before turning his head to look at you. 

“What?” he asked with a big smile on his face.

“Nothing, I’m just glad we met.”

“Me too,” Sam whispered. He glanced down at your lips then back into your eyes. You did the same to him. You realized what would happen next if you didn’t stop it so you turned your head back to the ceiling. It’s not that you didn’t want to kiss Sam. It was just that the two of you were roommates, friends, and you didn’t want anything to come between that. Still, you found yourself unable to shift your gaze off of Sam’s eyes. So there they stayed.


	3. it was as if your head, your heart, wanted more

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry, this chapter took so long to post! I didn't abandon this fic I've just been busy (and lazy) so I was taking forever to write. Hopefully, upcoming chapters will come sooner! (at least once a week)

You didn’t

You didn’t move and neither did Sam. It was as if both of you were waiting for something. Finally, you were able to turn your attention to the ceiling. You stared at it for a moment before quickly sitting up. You pulled your phone out of your pocket and looked at the time. “Hey, I’m gonna get ready for bed. Early day tomorrow,” you explained with an awkward chuckle. “Feel free to keep listening if you want,” you stood up.

“Oh- I’m good. Thank you though. I guess this is good night?”

“Yep, good night,” you smiled awkwardly. Sam held out his arms in preparation to hug you but you held out your hand for a handshake blocking him from doing it. 

He paused and dropped his arms, “Oh-” he shook your hand. “See you tomorrow.”

“See ya.”

“Sleep well,” he waved to you from outside of your bedroom door.

You waved back as you closed your bedroom door, “You too,” you closed the door completely and laid back against it sighing loudly. What had you done? In your defense, there was no way of going about that situation well. If you kissed him, bad. If you didn’t kiss him, bad. It was a trap so now you just had to hope that a good night's sleep would erase it all from both of your memories. Quietly, you walked into the bathroom that you and Sam shared to get ready for bed. Once you finished you left the bathroom and carefully started walking to your bedroom. You stopped in your tracks as you glanced up at the dim light coming from the living room. You poked your head in the room and saw Dean and Cas sitting on the couch with a bowl of popcorn between them.

“Hey, guys,” you greeted quietly, “what are you doing?”

“Watching a movie,” Dean answered in a normal tone of voice. He tossed a kernel of popcorn into his mouth.

“Care to join?” Cas offered.

“Oh, no I’m off to bed. Gotta be at work early tomorrow.”

“Alright, well good night Y/N,” Cas grinned.

“Good night Cas. Good night Dean.” 

“Night!” Dean exclaimed. 

You began walking back to your room. As you were about to open the door you turned your head towards the bit of light in the dark hallway. At the end of the hall stood Sam’s room with the door cracked open. Sam sat on his bed, his back against his headboard as he read and book, and very quietly you could hear him sing, “darling you send me, I know you send me.” You smiled softly and walked back into your room.

Once in your room, you changed into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt before crawling into bed. Your first night at your new apartment, your new life. You hoped that whatever tomorrow brought was a tad less dramatic than everything that had happened that day. The next morning you had to get to work by 7:30 am. You glanced at your alarm clock _11:02._ You needed to go to sleep but your brain wouldn’t let you. Your head was stuffed full of thoughts as you stared at the blank ceiling. Soon, your eyelids grew heavy and slowly your mind rested as you drifted off to sleep.

You woke up to someone knocking on your bedroom door. You sat up with a small gasp as the noise had startled you awake. You closed your eyes tightly and opened them again letting them adjust to the light.

“Yeah?” you groaned, rubbing your eyes.

“Hey, what time do you need to leave for work?” Dean’s voice spoke from outside your bedroom door.

You looked over at your alarm clock on your bedside table and suddenly you were wide awake.  _ 6:45 _ . You tore yourself out of bed and grabbed your clothes out of your dresser before running over to the door of your room.

“Y/N?” You opened the door and looked at Dean who was standing on the other side.

Breathing heavily you answered, “Yeah?”

“Wake up late?”

“Yeah,” you said again. Dean turned his body so that you could pass him. You ran to the bathroom and as you reached for the door handle the door opened. There was Sam, fresh out of the shower. He had a towel around his waist and one in his hand he was using to dry his hair.

“Oh- uh- hi,” he panicked, grabbing where the towel around his waist overlapped.

“Sam-” your eyes widened and involuntarily shifted down to his stomach then back up to his eyes. You swallowed hard. “Sorry.” You didn’t know what to say but just apologizing seemed to work for both of you in all of your interactions so far, so that’s what you went with. 

“You’re fine,” Sam smiled. With one hand still gripping his towel and his other hand on the door he held it open, “Go ahead.” You expected this to be big deal but to Sam it seemed like nothing.

You pulled the clothes in your arms close to you and ducked under his arm and into the bathroom. He smiled at you through the small crack as he closed the door and you smiled back awkwardly.

After the door was completely closed you sighed and rubbed the bridge of your nose. Quickly, you realized you didn’t have enough time to sit and think about the awkwardness between you and Sam. You took a fast shower and after you finished continued getting ready. 

You walked out of the bathroom once you were ready and grabbed your shoes from behind the couch you’d left there. 

“Good morning,” Dean said from the kitchen. He was wearing a bathrobe and was leaning over the kitchen island with a mug of coffee in his hand. You looked over at him as you sat down on the couch and slipped on your shoes.

“Morning,” You replied as you finished putting on your shoes and stood up.

“Coffee?” he gestured to the pot on the counter behind him.

“No time, but thanks,” you smiled. He gave you a thumbs up with a smile.

“Hey, Y/N,” Cas yawned as he walked into the living room. His hair was messier than usual and he was wearing a blue t-shirt, grey sweatpants, and a pair of slippers. “I got a key made for you yesterday, sorry I forgot to tell you. It’s in the drawer,” he pointed to a drawer as he opened a cabinet and picked out a coffee mug.

“Oh, thank you!” you exclaimed. You walked to the drawer he had instructed and opened it. You grabbed your keys out of the drawer and attached the new one. You waved the boys goodbye and were on your way.

You rushed down the hall, in the elevator, through the lobby, and out the door. You looked at the busy streets of an early Monday morning in Chicago, at all the people making their ways to work, school, and wherever else they went. The bakery was 10 blocks away, so you quickly walked weaving between the slow walking people in the street. 15 minutes later you arrived at work. You checked your phone.  _ 7:25.  _ Perfect timing. 

You walked inside slightly worn and sweaty from the fast journey there. 

“Hey, Garth,” You greeted your boss with a smile. Garth was standing behind the cash register resting his arms on the counter. Garth’s business was small. It wasn’t that his bakery didn’t get many customers, it did, but it was a small shop with usually only 3 people working there at a time including himself. 

“Morning!” he grinned. You walked behind the counter and into the kitchen. You rolled up the sleeves of your button up on your way to the sink. After you washed your hands you grabbed your apron off the hook and tied it around your waist. You got to work starting with a batch of Garth’s chocolate chip cookies.

You worked as you did every day, baking and baking. Batches of cookies, cupcakes, cakes, muffins, brownies, and more. You glanced up at the kitchen clock  _ 12:00 pm. _ It was time for your lunch break. You wiped your face leaving a residue of flour on your cheek from your hand. You took off your apron and hung it back on its hook. You returned to the sink and washed your hands again. You walked out of the kitchen and back into the front of the store. You walked up to the girl standing at the counter taking orders. You rested your hand on her shoulder for a moment.

“Hey, Meg,” you whispered.

She looked back at you, “Y/N/N! What’s up?” she greeted. Meg Masters was the only one who ever called you by that name, and while it was strange you kind of enjoyed it.

“Nothing, just going to lunch. Will you tell Garth the cake for his wife’s birthday is in the fridge?” She nodded. “Thanks,” you smiled. You walked past Meg and out from behind the counter. You waved to the customers sitting in the shop enjoying your baked goods and made your way out of the door.

For lunch, you’d decided to eat at ‘The Roadhouse’. A restaurant you’d never been to, but it seemed like a good option. You walked the two blocks to the crosswalk where you crossed the street to the other side. There it stood on the corner. You walked inside and were seated by the hostess at a table. You sat alone at the table looking at the menu.

“Hey, Hon. You ready?” the waitress at your table asked, notepad in hand.

“Yeah, Can I get a cheeseburger and fries,” you ordered, “and just water to drink. Please.”

“Sure thing,” she smiled. She took your menu and you waited for your food. The door to the restaurant opened and you turned your attention to it. Cas had walked through the door.

“Hey C-'' he walked past you not realizing you were there. You followed him with your eyes as he walked to a table straight across from you on the other side of the restaurant. There Dean was sitting at a table. He stood up with a smile as Cas reached the table. He greeted Cas with a quick kiss. Your jaw dropped as you watched them. Dean embraced Cas in a hug, his eyes closed and a big smile on his face. Dean opened his eyes and they landed on you, instantly widening when he realized it was you. He pulled out of the hug, panicked. He turned Cas around to face you. 

“What?” Cas’s lips seemed to say. Cas looked around before his gaze landed on you and his eyes too widened matching Dean’s expression. They both smiled awkwardly and waved weakly. You stared at them for a moment before taking a long blink and standing up. You walked over to their table.

Dean turned around rubbing the back of his neck, and Cas stayed there looking at you.

“Guys??” you raised an eyebrow.

Cas sighed, “Hello, Y/N.”

“You two are- does Sam know?” 

“No, he doesn’t. And please  _ please _ don’t tell him.” Cas’s voice shook.

“Don’t tell him?” you gasped, “Is he? Is Sam-” you paused.

Dean realized what you were asking and turned back around to face you, “No no no no a million times no. Sam would accept us no matter what, on that aspect. It’s about us being roommates….not two men,” he explained. “Sam’s a bitch sure but he’s no dick,” Dean joked.

You smiled slightly at his lighthearted tease towards his brother. 

“But seriously...please don’t tell him.”

You sighed. You didn’t want to have to lie to Sam, but you also wanted to respect Dean and Cas’s wishes. “Of course, I won’t say anything. Take a deep breath, both of you, it’s ok.” You could tell how anxious about this both of them were. Between Cas’s shaky breath and hands as well as the sweat and lack of eye contact from Dean.

“Thank you,” Cas smiled softly. You returned the smile. You looked over at your table where your waitress was looking for where you had gone.

“Oh! Over here!” you waved her over. She walked over to you.

“Are you moving to sit over here?” she asked.

“No-”

“Yes,” Dean said at the same time as you. You looked at him. “Come sit with us.”

“Nooo,” you rejected, “I don’t want to interrupt you two.”

“You’re not interrupting us. We come here every day for lunch. Please, join us,” Cas smiled. 

“Alright,” you accepted. “Yes, I’d like to sit here if it isn’t a bother.”

“Of course,” she sat down your cup of water at the table. You pulled up a chair to the table of 2 Dean and Cas had gotten and sat down with them.

Dean and Cas ordered their food and it came out along with yours not much later. The three of you had a nice meal together full of conversation and laughs, which helped in making you closer with the two of them. To be fair you’d only known them for 3 days, but still, Sam was the one you had found yourself being closest with. You had hoped that you would be able to become great friends with all of the boys, not just Sam. 

Before you were able to finish your meal your lunch break was almost over. You looked at the clock, it was time to start heading back to Garth’s just for a few more hours before you were off. You wiped your mouth with a napkin and wadded it into a ball before throwing it down on your plate.

“Ok, well I gotta get back. Thanks for having me,” you smiled as you pulled a 20 dollar bill out and sat it on the table, “that’ll cover mine, tell her to keep the change.”

Dean picked up the money and held it out to you, “No take it back, I got this.”

You didn’t take the bill, “No, let me pay for mine.” you insisted.

“Normally I would accept but let's consider this your welcome to the family meal.”

Family...that word meant a lot to you. You knew Dean said it casually and he didn’t mean much saying it, but you were still honored. You gave Dean a smile and stood up.

“Ok, well thank you again, Both of you.”

“Thank  _ you.  _ I know secrets are hard, but we just aren’t ready yet. Hopefully, it won’t be too long now,” Cas looked at Dean with a soft smile as he spoke. Dean was focused on his food and not listening, but you watched as Cas watched Dean, he was full of so much love when he looked at Dean. So obvious that when you looked into his eyes you could see it. That brightness that Dean gave him, the pure joy and happiness. Something that you couldn’t wait to one day have too. Cas was right, secrets are hard especially for someone like you who hated keeping things from other people, even more so from people you cared about as much as you cared about Sam.

“Of course,” you smiled. “I’ll see you, boys, later?”

“Hmm?” Dean looked up from his food, “right- yeah, see you later Y/N,” he smiled with his mouth full.

You left The Roadhouse and returned to the bakery. You rewashed your hands and tied your apron back around your waist. As you pulled out the ingredients to get started on your last recipe before going home Garth peeked his head into the kitchen.

“Hey, Y/N?” 

You turned your head to look at him, “Hmm?” you sat down the box in your hand on the counter you stood in front of.

“I’m leaving early for Bess’s birthday, I hate to ask this but can you stay till closing and lock up?” 

You sighed. Normally you would get off work at three, but if you were closing the shop you’d be there an extra 2 hours which was a little longer then you wanted to have to stay there. Still, Garth had done so much for you giving you this job alone, and he had never asked you to close, so you obliged.

“Of course,” you said slowly with a slight smile.

“You’re the best,” Garth tapped the door frame before ducking out.

“Hey, Garth!”

He stuck his head back into the kitchen, “yes?”

“Did you get Bess’s cake?”

“No, you didn’t tell me it was done.”

“I told Meg to- whatever,” you growled, “It’s in the fridge,” you nudged your head towards the large refrigerator behind you as you poured flour into the bowl in front of you.

“Thank you again,” Garth said as he took the birthday cake you had made earlier out of the fridge. He peered over your shoulder, “oh you don’t have to bake anything else, just hang out until closing and take some orders is all.”

Your eyes widened. Take orders? You had only ever stayed hidden in the kitchen, never had you stood behind the counter and actually interacted with customers. You stopped pouring the flour and sat the box down on the counter, “right...ok. I’ll do that.”

“Great,” he patted you on the shoulder and headed out the door.

You wiped a little bit of sweat off of your forehead and put away your baking supplies. You then put your apron back, and washed your hands before heading to the front of the shop. 

You stood in front of the cash register looking down at it with confusion as you realized you had never been trained for this job. Still, with a perplexed look on your face you looked up at the customer standing in front of you.

They smiled at you and you smiled back. “Hi,” you greeted hesitantly.

You took the man’s order and when he handed you his cash payment you returned to the cash register and read the buttons trying to figure out which one opened it. After finally figuring everything out and giving the man the cookies he had ordered he sat down. The shop was rather small. It only had a few two person tables scattered around, due to the majority of people taking their baked goods to go. For Garth’s being such a small shop with only a couple of employees the bakery had quite a bit of business. It was safe to say Chicago was in love with your cakes, and muffins, and cookies, and bread, and- well everything. Customers flooded in and out of the shop on a constant basis until closing. When the bakery was open, which was only monday through friday, you hid in the kitchen baking away while Meg took orders and Garth supervised. Until 12 when Meg left and then I'd just be you and Garth, who took the orders, before you left. Leaving Garth to finish running his business for the day, and hope no one ordered enough sweets to wipe out the supply.

You did as Garth instructed and hung out at the shop casually taking orders until closing. Once the clock struck 5 pm you walked to the door and turned off the open sign before anyone else tried to enter the store. You carried out what you assumed were the closing procedures, you didn’t know due to never being trained for such. You grabbed your bag from the kitchen and walked outside. You locked the front door and started heading back to the apartment. The sun was already setting so you rushed home. 

You stood outside the apartment door shuffling your keys trying to find the correct one for the door.

“Hey,” a voice said from behind you.

You turned around, “Hi?” you raised an eyebrow.

“You one of Dean-o’s girls?”

You scoffed, “What- no, I live here.”

“Oh! Sweet,” the man took a lollipop out of his mouth and held out his other hand, “Gabriel.”

“Y/N,” you hesitated to shake his hand but ultimately did it. 

“Well then,” he shoved the lollipop back into his mouth. “Nice to meet you neighbor,” he unlocked his door next to yours and threw himself inside.

“You too….?” your eyebrow still raised.  _ What a strange man _ . You thought. 

You unlocked the door and walked inside. “Sam? Dean? Cas?” you shouted to the empty apartment. No answer. It seemed you were the first one home. You tossed your keys into the drawer and walked over to the couch where you flopped down. You closed your eyes and sank into the cushion before they quickly shot open at the memory of the secret you had to keep. Not only did you hate keeping secrets but you were a horrible liar when it came to being confronted about them. You stood up and walked into the kitchen to start doing what you did anytime you were stressed: compulsively bake. Ever since you were young baking had been a great way to relieve stress and distract yourself. That’s why, as a constantly stressed person, being a baker was the perfect career for you.

You opened the pantry and found little to nothing to work with. You were able to scrounge up the materials for an apple pie, and once you did you got straight to baking. As you vigorously mixed butter into your bowl of salt and flour you heard the front door open. 

“Hello?”

“Sam!” you shouted as you recognized the voice. You wiped your forehead and looked up.

He peered around the corner and at you, “Hey Y/N, you uh- you left the door unlocked.”

“Oh- oops,” you chuckled, returning to your bowl.

“You ok?” 

You didn’t look up at him, “yeah I’m fine, why do you ask?”

“You just seem to be mixing pretty hard over there,” he looked over at your bowl.

“Right, just relieving stress,” you looked up at Sam who sat down on a stool at the kitchen table and rested his cheeks in his hands.

“What are you stressed about?”

You swallowed hard. Here it was, the first lie. “Just- work.”

Sam lifted an eyebrow, “So, you're stressed about work, where you bake, so your solution to relieve that stress is to bake more?”

Bad lie. You had no clue what to say. There was nothing you could think of that would save the situation. “Yes.” you said quickly, your eyes widened.

Sam chuckled, “Alright then.” you exhaled at him accepting the lie you’d told him. “What are you baking?”

“Apple pie.”

“Apple pie? That’s Dean’s favorite.”

“I’ll have to give him some then,” you stared back at your bowl and continued mixing.

Sam threw his hands down making a quiet slap on the counter, causing you to look up.

“Sorry, this is driving me insane,” he stood up and walked over to you.

Your heart started racing as he walked over to you and spun you towards him. He gently tipped your chin upwards and you stared into his eyes but his attention was on your forehead. Your panic turned to confusion. What was he looking at? 

He wiped his thumb across your forehead and took his hand off of your chin. 

“Flour,” he explained looking at his thumb covered in the white power. 

You felt like an idiot. What did you think he was doing, you didn’t know exactly but you knew it scared you. You needed to stop letting your head think something was going to happen between the two of you. Sam had already made it clear nothing was going to happen and you had already happily told yourself the same thing. Still, no matter how many times you told yourself Sam was just a friend, it was as if your head, your heart, wanted more.


	4. maybe you could learn to see him as just that

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I didn't expect to come out with a new chapter so quickly....well. Here we are! Hope all of you are enjoying the story so far! I have so much planned for the future, you all aren't ready. Future chapters won't be coming out this quickly in the future so don't get used to it HAHAHA! Much love, - S xx

Sam dusted off his hands and looked back up at you. “Are you alright?” you couldn’t see whatever expression was on your face but by his statement you figured it was one worth raising question at. “Do you not like to be touched- oh god I should’ve asked first i’m sorry!” Sam panicked.

You blinked hard and rested your face, “Huh- what? No, I’m all good,” you held two thumbs up with a smile. The fact that he was even concerned about that made you feel instant comfort around him, even more so than before. 

Sam furrowed a brow at your action and slowly held a thumbs up, “Okay...good.” He returned to his seat at the kitchen island. “Have you seen Dean and Cas?”

“No!” you shouted quickly realizing that it was unnecessary.

Sam’s eyes widened, “okay….” he could most definitely tell something was up with you, “are you sure you’re alright? Is there something you need to say?”

You gulped, “No- Nope. Nothing.”

Sam squinted at you, “hmmm,” he hummed. “Ok, I trust you.”

When he said that a horrible feeling sank directly to your stomach. Sam trusted you and you were flat out lying to him. Of course, you weren’t going to go against Dean and Cas’s wishes. You’d promised them you wouldn’t tell Sam and breaking that promise was just as bad, if not worse then lying to Sam.

He stood up and began to walk to his room, “Hey, Y/N,” he turned around, rubbing one of his eyes.

“Yeah?”

Sam opened his mouth to speak but right as he did the oven timer went off. The boy’s head shot towards the noise.

You lifted your eyebrows. You grabbed an oven mitt and opened the oven carefully taking out the ceramic pie pan, “what were you saying?” You asked Sam as you sat the pan down on the stovetop. 

Sam clicked his tongue and sighed, “nothing, forget it.”

You spun around and looked at him. You raised an eyebrow, “you sure?”

He smiled quickly, “yeah, it’s- unimportant,” he shook it off. 

You wondered when things would calm down between the two of you. Any time the awkwardness was gone it wasn't for long, it would come right back. You figured it was all your fault. 

Sam retreated to his room and you continued baking, which now was even more needed due to the level your stress had reached. 

After finishing cooking the filling, pouring it into the crust, and making the lattice top, you put the pie in the oven. 

While you waited for it to finish you sank into the couch. You flipped on the tv to some random channel to pass the time. Slowly your eyes began to grow heavy. You tried to keep them open but after a short lived battle you lost and fell asleep.

“Hey, Hey!”

You opened your eyes to see Dean poking your arm.

“What!” you shouted back.

“Are you cooking something?” he asked you.

You sat up quickly, “crap!” you exclaimed.

“Yes, a pie.” Cas answered. You looked over at him. He was holding your pie with both of his mitted hands.

You rushed over to him and examined your work, “It’’s overcooked but I mean it isn’t burnt so maybe it’s still edible?”

“Yeah but I don’t think it’s usable for whatever it was for. You should give it to me,” Dean chuckled.

“It wasn’t  _ for  _ anything.” you motioned for Cas to set the pie down, “knock yourself out.”

Dean chuckled and rubbed his hands together, preparing to cut himself a slice.

“And hey the only reason I made it was to distract myself from  _ your _ secret,” you pointed a finger in his face.

“Hey, guys.” 

Your eyes widened at the sounds of his voice.

“Heya Sammy,” Dean greeted his brother.

You turned around slowly and smiled at Sam. You wondered how much he had heard. Maybe there was a chance he hadn’t heard what you’d said.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“Y/N burnt a pie,” Cas answered.

“I didn’t burn it,” you defended. “I overcooked there is a distinct difference.”

“Right,” Sam chuckled, “so um...secret?” he questioned looking down at you.

Shit. You scrunched your nose, “what?” your voice shook.

“You’re a horrible liar,” Dean whispered to you.

You smiled and elbowed Dean in the ribs.

“OW!” he exclaimed rubbing the spot where you’d hit him.

Sam looked at his brother and then at you. He crossed his arms, “well?”

A million ideas of what to say rushed through your head. Tell him the secrets for someone else and make up a fake one to tell him? Say he misheard you? Play dumb? You made a different choice, “I can’t tell you,” you explained. You knew it was a stupid decison, but it was too late. You went with it, and you had to deal with whatever came next.

“Ok,” Sam replied plainly.

“What?” you furrowed your eyebrows.

“Ok,” he repeated, “sure i’d like to know what it is, but obviously it’s none of my business.”

This came as somewhat of a relief. Still it didn’t fully rid you of your worries. Sam was such an amazing person, him saying that had proved it. Yet you still had to continue to keep things from him. You tried to calm yourself down. You were getting all worked up over something that wasn’t that big of a deal. Sam had just explained that he didn’t need to know what you were keeping and that was the only thing you were worried about. So, before things somehow got worse you distracted yourself.

“Alright. So, pie?” you looked at Dean.

“Right- yes,” he replied.

“Why don’t you wait until after we eat some real food?” Cas suggested.

“But-”

“He’s right Dean. It needs to cool anyways,” you agreed with Cas, “I can cook something?” 

“No no no, sorry Y/N but you aren’t cooking in my kitchen again. At least not for a little bit,” Cas explained.

You folded your arms, “fine,” you heeded.

Sam laughed at your reluctance, causing you to smile. 

Cas cooked dinner for the four of you, and after you ate Dean dug straight into the pie. While it was in fact overcooked it still tasted pretty good. Dean seemed to think so as he had 5 slices compared to you, Cas, and Sam’s one. 

Dean licked his fork clean after his last slice of pie and set it down on his plate. He stood up and walked to the kitchen returning with a bottle Jack Daniel’s. “Thirsty?” he chuckled as he held the bottle in the air.

“Hell no,” Sam laughed, “it’s Monday night, no time for me to be drinking.”

“Guess it’s just us then huh?”

You stood up, “nope. I’m out, I gotta get to bed.”

Dean sighed, “ok then, you and I buddy,” he said to Cas.

“You and I,” he replied.

Sam walked with you as the two of you left to your rooms for the night. 

“So, 2nd night…” he started, “how are we looking?”

“Good,” you smiled at him, “far from what I expected when I moved here, but I’m enjoying it.”

“And what was that?” he asked, “what did you expect?” he clarified.

You exhaled, “I don’t know  _ really _ to be honest. You know a young girl moving to a big city all alone. You expect it to be like the movies. Move into an apartment, meet a guy, fall in love,” you stopped yourself, “I don’t know why I expected my life to be a rom-com,” you laughed.

Sam smiled but he didn’t laugh, “Well you can check step one of your list,” he stopped walking.

The two of you had reached your bedroom door. You looked up at him, “guess it’s on to step two.”

“I guess you’re right,” he smirked.

You were looking at Sam, his deep eyes and his kind smile. You obviously could see yourself  _ with _ him, but you were learning to see yourself as just being friends with him. It would tear you apart, but having a relationship with Sam, even a platonic one, was what was most important to you. 

“Good night Sam.”

“Good night Y/N.”

You opened your bedroom door and walked inside. You closed it with a sigh as you walked over to your alarm clock making sure to set it properly this time. 

You were getting ready to go to sleep when there was a knock on your bedroom door. “Come in!” you shouted across your room.

The door opened slowly and Sam was standing on the other side, “Hey,” he greeted.

“What’s up?” you were wondering what he was doing, what he had to say to you.

“Do you wanna go to lunch tomorrow?”

Lunch. It seemed like a good friendly way to bond with Sam, so you accepted, “sure,” you grinned.

“Alright cool, when’s your lunch break? And I know where Garth’s is so I can pick you up, sound good?” he said quickly, almost as if he only had a certain amount of time to talk to you and was rushing along.

“Oh, uh- noon,” you smiled. 

“Okay, see you then,” he did the usual small smile he always had on his face. He started to close the door back.

“Good night,” you said urgently to make sure he heard before the door was completely closed. 

He paused and stuck his head through the crack, “‘night!” 

Sam left and you got back to getting ready for bed. 

The next morning you were actually woken up on time by your alarm clock. You walked out of your room. The apartment was silent, every light off, it was a kind of eerie. As long as you’d been there the entire place was always alive somehow. Lights on, people talking, the tv buzzing, etc. It was obvious you were the only one awake, you assumed that meant on normal days you were the first one to wake up and leave. 

You walked into the bathroom where you took a shower and back to your room where you got dressed for the day. You returned to the bathroom to start brushing your teeth. A few moments later Sam walked into the room.

“Good morning,” you smiled.

“Good morning,” he yawned. He picked up his toothbrush and started brushing his teeth along with you. You were looking at him, while he was looking straight ahead into the mirror.

It started again immediately, it was almost involuntary. You wondering about that feeling between you and Sam. You shook your head. You needed to stop thinking like this. You observed him as he stood beside you. He turned his head to look at you, his tired eyes were the death of you. He smiled with his mouthful of toothpaste. You returned a sudsy grin. Even If the possibility of you and Sam was real, you hadn’t even gotten to know him yet to know if it was real. Your head telling you there was even a slim chance Sam could have feelings for you was ridiculous. You knew there was no way that he would. Just looking at him you knew that. He was absolutely perfect in every way. It was an irrational longing crush that you needed to get rid of before you did or said something you’d regret.

You spit out your toothpaste in the sink and washed it out before putting your toothbrush back. You rested your hand on Sam’s shoulder for a moment, “see you later.”

“Mmhmm,” he nodded.

You left the bathroom and went into the kitchen where your keys were waiting. You picked them up and left. 

You made your way down the street to the cafe that was nearby. You ordered a coffee and breakfast sandwich. You took a seat at a table in front of the windows where you watched the cars and people go by. It was still early, the streets weren’t nearly as busy as most times, and the sun hadn’t even risen yet. Of course, being the city it was still filled with light.

You finished up your coffee and made your way to work. Today you didn’t have to book it there, so you took your time. You soaked in the city as you strolled down the block to the shop.

Once you arrived at work you walked in carefully. The open sign was still off as the bakery didn’t open for a little while longer.

“Garth?” you asked to the dim lit shop.

“Back here!” he shouted.

You walked into the kitchen where he was moving boxes out of the freezer.

“Good morning, how are you?” Garth greeted you.

“I’m doing good,” you smiled, “Bess’s birthday! How was it?”

“Oh spectacular, she adored the cake thank you again.”

“Of course, anytime, I’m glad she liked it.” You hated nothing more than small talk. Meaningless little conversations that led nowhere. You had always despised them. Nevertheless, it was the polite thing to do so you continued. “Hey, you opened this morning, did I close properly? I realized after you left I never learned how.”

“Yeah, everything seemed right, it checked out.”

“Cool ok, thanks.” 

Garth left the kitchen with a box and headed to the front and you stayed. You did the usual prep and got to baking. Five and a half hours straight of baking was just about what you needed right then, so you were glad you had the chance. You had always gotten trapped in your own little world when you baked, so time had gotten away from you and you hadn’t realized when it was 12. You heard Sam’s voice from the front of the shop which was what made you snap back into reality.

You stuck your head out of the kitchen and met eyes with him. “Hey,” you grinned.

“Ah there she is,” he said to Garth, “ready to go?”

“Yeah one sec,” you went back to the kitchen, took off your apron and washed your hands. You walked back to the front of the bakery and out from behind the counter. “Ok, i’m good.”

Sam was stood by the door. He pushed it open and leaned against it to hold it open waiting for you. 

“See you later Garth.”

“See ya Y/N.”

You walked out of the door and thanked Sam for holding it open. The two of you walked down the street, even though you had no idea of where you were going.

“So...burn any pies while you were in there?”

You laughed, “Actually, I don’t do that often. It was just the once.”

“Sureee.”

You rolled your eyes with a smile.

“So get this,” Sam started, “there’s this pretty good place right over there, The Roadhouse, if you wanna go eat there?”

“NO!” you shouted.

Sam stumbled back a bit.

“Sorry, uh- I meant, I’m good, I ate there yesterday.”

“Oh, okay,” Sam chuckled quietly, “there’s a middle eastern food place a little bit father, they have really good hummus?” he suggested with question.

You shrugged, “sure, sounds good.”

“Perfect.”

“So,” you started as you swayed down the street, “I’ve noticed you’re dressed in suits for your job.” You looked Sam up and down.

“Right yeah,” Sam looked down at himself and instinctiely grabbed his tie.

“What do you do?” you asked realizing he knew more about you then you him.

“Oh, I’m a paralegal at a firm downtown,” he explained.

“Wow-” you were impressed. Sam was roughly the same age as you and he had a much more impressive career, “at your age?” you continued to interrogate him.

“Yeah,” he chuckled softly, “youngest one there.”

“Wow,” your eyes widened, “I must be seeming pretty unimpressive right about now.”

“No way,” Sam grinned shaking his head, “we all have our talents. There’s no way in hell I could bake  _ anything. _ I mean c’mon, even your overcooked pie was fantastic!”

You blushed slightly. Compliments, no matter who they came from, always made you do that, but coming from Sam specifically made it that much worse.

You and Sam arrived at the middle eastern restaurant he had referred to. It wasn’t a dine-in, more of a fancier version of a food booth. You shoved your hands into your pockets as you looked over the food through the glass.

“What looks good?” Sam leaned into you.

You turned your head to his voice. His face was right next to yours, “Oh um,” you gulped and looked forward again, “everything,” you laughed.

“Well, like I said they have some pretty good hummus if you want a suggestion?”

You shrugged your shoulders, “why not?” you took Sam’s suggestion and ordered a cup of hummus with fresh pita. 

After Sam ordered the same he took out his card to pay but you stopped him putting your hand over his that held his debit card, “let me. All you guys have done is pay for my stuff. It’s my turn.”

Sam smiled as he shook his head, “sure, I won’t pass you up on that option.”

Together, both of you walked to the park to find a place to sit and eat. You found one and sat down. Sam took the plastic lid off his small styrofoam cup of hummus. He ripped off a piece of pita and scooped up a large amount of the dip.

“So,” he started with his mouthful.

“Hmm?” you hummed.

“Sunday is Dean’s birthday.”

“Right,” you squinted at him.

“I hate to ask, but do you think you could maybe bake him something? I’ll help, I mean I don’t know how big of one i’ll be but- anyways, would you?”

You started to open your food, “Yeah, definitely! I’d love to,” you didn’t look up from your cup.

“Really? Thank you. Seriously.”

“Yeah, no problem,” you said as you took a bite, “so does he, do you have any plans for his birthday?”

“Well it’s always kind of been our tradition to let Dean do whatever he wants on his birthday. And ever since we moved here that’s mostly included him driving us to this small bar outside of the city blaring rock music the whole time, him getting super drunk, and then going home and letting him force Cas and I to watch some random old movies he loves.”

You laughed, “sounds fun.”

“It is,” Sam laughed with you, “for him at least. I’m the designated driver so y’know not much fun for me. But it’s what Dean loves, so I’m ok with it.”

“Wow, you’re a good brother. I know mine wouldn’t care at all.”

“You have brothers?”

You sighed, “Yeah two older ones.”

“Ah I see,” Sam nodded, “I guess I have two in a way as well.”

“Cas?” you asked assuming that was who he was referring to.

“Yeah,” he smiled, “I feel like the 3 of us have really become brothers.”

This statement made you cough.  _ Yeah, brothers for sure. Nothing else.  _ You thought to yourself sarcastically.

“Well anyways,” he moved on, “will you join us?”

“Huh?”

“For Dean’s birthday. Will you come with us?”

“Oh I couldn’t, I wouldn’t want to intrude on your traditions.”

“Hey, the tradition is Dean only hangs out with his roommates and that’s you now. Plus, I’m sure he’d love to have you there. He’s referred to you as a new member of our family repeatedly now.”

You smiled when Sam said this. Just as it had been the day before when Dean had said it, being considered part of their little family meant a lot to you, even as a small sentiment. 

“Ah what the hell, I’m in.” You looked up at Sam.

“Yeah?”

“Sure, why not. Sounds like it could be fun,” you looked around and noticed where you and Sam were at.

“Hey, isn’t this where we met?” you observed.

Sam looked at his surroundings then at you with a smile, “yeah, you spilt coffee all over me righttt there,” he pointed at a spot on the sidewalk.

“Ah,” you sighed, “what a life changing moment.”

Sam looked at you then at the ground and smiled, “seems like just days ago,” he joked with a laugh.

Sure you’d said what you’d said as a joke, but if you were being honest it was true. Meeting Sam had changed your life for the better, even in just the few days you’d known him. You were happier knowing him. Pushing aside the obvious feelings you had for him, Sam was a great friend and maybe you could learn to see him as just that.


End file.
